Convertible office-desk.



J.' G. s. DBY.

CONVERTIBLE OFFICE DESK. APPLICATION FILED ocT.1e, 190s.

928,185. Y Patented July 13,1909.

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JAMES G. S. DEY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

CONVERTIBLE OFFICE-DESK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1909.

Application filed October 16, 1908. Serial No. 458,089.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES G. S. DEY, of Syracuse, inthe county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Convertible Office- Desks, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in convertible oflice desks preferably of the flat table type in which the main object is to make the top adjustable for either a sitting or standing position. In other words, I have sought to provide an ordinary flattop desk with a superposed extra top and separate mechanism for raising and lowering said superposed top and holding it in any of its adjusted positions and at the same time to conceal the greater' portion of the mechanism by which the `extra top is adjusted.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings-Figure l is a front elevation partly in section of a convertible desk embodying the features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3, F ig. l, showing particularly the stop pawl and ratchet for holding the adjustable top in its adjusted position.

This desk as shown in the drawings comprises essentially a main supporting frame -l having a central knee space 2"- opening from its front side, and opposite tiers of drawers -r-, those of each tier being located above the other and at oppov site sides of the knee space --2 an extra central drawer -l being arranged just above the knee space. This frame is provided with the ordinary top extending horizontally across the upper portion of the entire frame above the draws -3 and -tbut in this instance is provided with two sets of vertical openings -6-, three in each set which are alined with vertical compartments -7- for the reception of two sets of vertical guide rods --8- and 9M- corresponding to the number of openings Ci- The compartments 7 in which the vertical rods --8- and -9- play are separated from the knee space and draw compartments by suitable partitions -10- rods -S- and -9- and is substantially coextensive with the top -5-, the upper ends of the bars -8- and -9- being preferably recessed into the under side of the top -l3 and are secured thereto by suitable screws --l4t-. This superposed top l3- projects longitudinally and laterally some distance beyond the underlying pendent guide rods --8- and 9 and, therefore, conceals said rods from view particularly when the top -l--is in its down position, that is, fiat against the upper surface of the top -5- as shown by dotted lines in Fig. l. The guide rods -8- and 9- of each set are spaced nearly uniform distances apart between the front and rear sides of the desk, `the guide rods --9- being located at the center or substantially midway between the guide rods Sw and are each `provided with a toothed rack -16- which meshes with a pinion 1T- on a rotary shaft -l8--. This shaft is journaled in suitable hearings -l9* in the inner partitions -10- nearly midway between the front and back of the desk and extends longitudinally across the knee space -2- and between two adjacent draws at one side of the desk where `it protrudes through the adjacent side of said desk and is provided with a suitable hand wheel --l9- and a ratchet wheel -20-, the latter being adapted to be engaged by a stop pawl -2lfor holding the adjustable top -13 in its adj usted position.

The shaft -18- together with the pinions -17- and racks 1G-- constitute means for raising and lowering the table top -l3-, the racks 16- beingheld in mesh with their respective pinions by suitable guide stops k22- as best seen in Fig. 2. The outer end of the shaft 18d adjacent the hand wheel 19M is journaled in suitable bearings -23- to prevent undue springing of the shaft during the adjustnient of the table top by the hand wheel -l9-.

The upper surfaces of the bearing plates -12- are substantially coincident with the upper face of the table top -5- which is otherwise fiat throughout its area. In like manner the under sides of the offset portions S- and -9- are coincident with the plane of the lower face of the adjustable table top -llwhich is also fiat throughout its area thus permitting the table top 13M to lie in close contact with the upper face of the top m5 when the top A13 is in its extreme down position. It is now clear that superposed top 13- may be adjusted to any height within the range of the length of the racks 1(3q to be used by the operator in either sitting or standing position.

If it should be desired at any time to dispense with the adjustable top -13-, it together with the guide rods -S- and --9- may be readily withdrawn upwardly until the lower ends of the guide rods clear the upper face of the top -5- whereupon the superposed top may be laid aside and the desk used in the ordinary way for sitting position and may be similarly used with the superposed top in its extreme down position or the latter may be adjusted by simply rotating the shaft 18- by means of the hand wheel -20- to the desired height to be used in a standing position and stopped at any intermediate adjustment for use by persons of different height.

that l claim is:

l. A convertible desk comprising a main frame having a top formed of a fixed and an adjustable section, said adjustable section superposed upon said fixed section and movable toward and from the said fixed section,

said fixed section provided with a plurality of openings, means to provide a pair of compartments below the fixed section, guide stops within said compartments, guide rods extending through said openings, guided by said stops and connected to the adjustable section and formed with toothed racks, a rotary shaft journaled in the main frame and provided with pinions engaging with said racks, said pinions adapted to vertically move said rods when said shaft is rotated, means for rotating the shaft, and means for holding the shaft against rotation by the weight of the adjustable section of the top.

2. A convertible desk comprising a main frame having a top formed of a fixed and an adjustable section, said adjustable section superposed upon said fixed section and movable toward and from the said fixed section, said fixed section provided with a plurality of openings, means to provide a pair of com partments below the fixed section, guide stops within said compartments, guide rods extending through said openings and into said compartments and guided by said stops and having' angularly disposed upper ends countersunk in and secured to the lower face of the adjustable section, said guide rods provided with toothed racks, a rotary shaft journaled in the main frame and provided with pinions engaging with said racks, said pinions adapted to vertically move said rods when said shaft is rotated, means for rotating the shaft, and means for holding` the shaft against rotation by the weight of the adjustable section of the top.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of October 1908.

JAMES G. S. DEY.

lVitnesses:

H. E. CHASE, C. M. MCCORMACK. 

